Beekman 1802 is a #metoostep2 company

by Aray Till

As the owners of a small business in a jobs-challenged rural area, we’ve been thinking a lot about the recent sexual harassment national awakening.

While we’re thrilled that women at larger corporations have begun speaking out and changing their workplaces, we’re also worried that this movement will pass over 50% of America’s working women – those women working in small businesses.

Many small businesses – especially in rural areas – don’t have HR departments. They are predominantly owned and operated by men. Sometimes generations of men from the same family. Women working in these environments have little or no recourse when it comes to workplace sexual harassment.

Think about it. They can’t even post #metoo on their social media without putting their job in jeopardy. Their only option to escape harassment is quitting. And how can she quit when there are no other jobs to support her family?

But just because a woman can’t speak up, doesn’t mean she can’t be helped. There has to be a “Step 2” after #metoo. We’d like to encourage “safe” small businesses to proclaim themselves #Metoostep2 Companies and begin anonymously recruiting these women.

And we’ll start with our own. If you are trapped in a workplace near us, and can’t escape systemic harassment, email us directly: metoostep2@beekman1802.com.

We can’t promise that we’ll have a job right away, but we can promise anonymity, priority hiring consideration, and access to our own HR resources to help you find options.

This post just brought me to tears! Thank you so much for doing this for the women who may be experiencing sexual harassment in your area. If more companies, large and small, did this, the world would be a better place. Now I love you even more than I already do. Thank you so much!